THE INTELLIGENT ENVIRONMENT
At the same time, the intelligent environment may eventually begin to change not merely the way we analyze problems and integrate information, but even the chemistry of our brains. Experiments by David Krech, Marian Diamond, Mark Rosenzweig, and Edward Bennett, among others, have shown that animals exposed to an “enriched” environment have larger cerebral cortices, more glial cells, bigger neurons, more active neurotransmitters, and larger blood supplies to the brain than animals in a control group. Can it be that, as we complexify the environment and make it more intelligent, we shall make ourselves more intelligent as well?
Dr. Donald F. Klein, Director of Research at New York Psychiatric Institute, one of the world’s leading neuropsychia-trists, speculates:
“Krech’s work suggests that among the variables affecting intelligence is the richness and responsiveness of the early environment. Kids brought up in what might be called a ‘stupid’ environment— understimulating, poor, unresponsive—soon learn not to take chances. There’s little margin for error, and it actually pays off to be cautious, conservative, uninquisitive or downright passive, none of which works wonders for the brain.
“On the other hand, kids raised in a smart, responsive environment, which is complex and stimulating, may develop a different set of skills. If kids can call on the environment to do things for them, they become less dependent on parents at a younger age. They may gain a sense of mastery or competence. And they can afford to be inquisitive, exploratory, imaginative, and to adopt a problem-solving approach to life. All of which may promote changes in the brain itself. At this point, all we can do is guess. But it is not impossible that an intelligent environment could lead us to develop new synapses and a larger cortex. A smarter environment might make smarter people.”
All this, however, only begins to hint at the larger significance of the changes the new info-sphere brings with it. I’or the de-massification of the media and the concomitant rise of the computer together change our social memory.
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